Colletotrichum graminicola (Ces.) (Cg), more commonly known as anthracnose, is the causative agent of anthracnose leaf blight, anthracnose stalk rot (ASR) and top dieback that affects Zea mays (L.), also known as maize or corn. It is the only known common stalk rot that also causes a leaf blight (Bergstrom, et al., (1999), Plant Disease, 83:596-608, White, D. G. (1998), Compendium of Corn Diseases, pp. 1-78). It has been known to occur in the United States since 1855 and has been reported in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia (McGee, D. C. (1988), Maize Diseases: A Reference Source for Seed Technologists, APS Press, St. Paul, Minn.; White, (1998) supra; White, et al., (1979) Proc. Annu. Corn Sorghum Res Conf (34th), 1-15). In the United States alone, over 37.5 million acres are infested annually with average yield losses of 6.6% nationwide (See FIG. 1). The yield losses are due both to low kernel weight in infected plants and “lodging,” that is, the falling over of the plants due to weakness in the stalks caused by the infection (Dodd, J., (1980), Plant Disease, 64:533-537). Lodged plants are more difficult to harvest and are susceptible to other diseases. After infection, typically the upper portion of the stalk dies first while the lower stalk is still green. Externally, infection can be recognized by blotchy black patches on the outer rind of the stalk, while internally the pith tissue is discolored or black in appearance. Inoculation occurs in a number of ways. Roots may grow through stalk debris and become infected. This will become an increasing problem as “no till” methods of agriculture are more widely adopted due to their environmental benefits. The fungus may also infect the stalks through insect damage and other wounds (White (1998) supra). Stalk infection may be preceded by leaf infection causing leaf blight and providing inoculum for stalk infection. There is controversy in the technical literature as to the number of different varieties or races of Cg present in nature. The pathogen is transmitted by wind or contaminated seed lots. Spores remain viable for up to 2 years (McGee (1988) supra; Nicholson, et al., (1980), Phytopathology, 70:255-261; Warren, H. L. (1977), Phytopathology, 67:160-162; Warren, et al., (1975), Phytopathology, 65:620-623).
Farmers may combat infection by corn fungal diseases such as anthracnose through the use of fungicides, but these have environmental side effects, and require monitoring of fields and diagnostic techniques to determine which fungus is causing the infection so that the correct fungicide can be used. Particularly with large field crops such as corn, this is difficult. The use of corn lines that carry genetic or transgenic sources of resistance is more practical if the genes responsible for resistance can be incorporated into elite, high yielding germplasm without reducing yield. Genetic sources of resistance to Cg have been described. There have been several maize lines identified that carry some level of resistance to Cg (White, et al. (1979) supra). These included A556, MP305, H21, SP288, CI88A, and FR16. A reciprocal translocation testcross analysis using A556 indicated that genes controlling resistance to ASR lie on the long arms of chromosomes 1, 4, and 8 as well as both arms of chromosome 6 (Carson, M. L. (1981), Sources of inheritance of resistance to anthracnose stalk rot of corn. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). Introgression of resistance derived from such lines is complex. Another inbred, LB31, was reported to carry a single dominant gene controlling resistance to ASR but appears to be unstable, especially in the presence of European corn borer infestation (Badu-Apraku et al., (1987) Phytopathology 77: 957-959). The line MP305 was found to carry two dominant genes for resistance, one with a major effect and one with a minor effect (Carson (1981) supra). MP305 has been made available by the University of Mississippi through the National Plant Germplasm System (GRIN ID: NSL 250298) operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. See Compilation of North American Maize Breeding Germplasm, J. T. Gerdes et al., Crop Science Society of America, 1993. Seed of MP305 can be obtained through W. Paul Williams, Supervisory Research Geneticist USDA-ARS, Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit, Box 9555, 340 Dorman Hall, Mississippi State, Miss. 39762.
It has been reported that there are two genes linked on the long arm of chromosome 4 that confer resistance to Cg (Toman, et al., (1993), Phytopathology, 83:981-986; Cowen, N et al. (1991) Maize Genetics Conference Abstracts 33). A significant resistance quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 4 has also been reported (Jung, et al., (1994), Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 89:413-418). Jung et al. (supra) reported that UMC15 could be used to select for the QTL on chromosome 4 in MP305, and suggested that the QTL is on a 12cM region of chromosome 4 between UMC15 and UMC66. In fact, as discussed in more detail below, the region between UMC15 and UMC66 as reported on the IBM2 neighbors 4 genetic map is approximately 129 cM, and selection for the QTL in the manner suggested by Jung et al. (1994, supra) would at best select a large chromosomal interval with considerable linkage drag and negative phenotypic effect, and at worst, a double recombination could occur between the two markers resulting in a false positive selection for the Rcg1 locus.
Much work has been done on the mechanisms of disease resistance in plants in general. Some mechanisms of resistance are non-pathogen specific in nature, or so-called “non-host resistance.” These may be based on cell wall structure or similar protective mechanisms. However, while plants lack an immune system with circulating antibodies and the other attributes of a mammalian immune system, they do have other mechanisms to specifically protect against pathogens. The most important and best studied of these are the plant disease resistance genes, or “R” genes. One of very many reviews of this resistance mechanism and the R genes can be found in Bekhadir et al., (2004), Current Opinion in Plant Biology 7:391-399. There are 5 recognized classes of R genes: intracellular proteins with a nucleotide-binding site (NBS) and a leucine-rich repeat (LRR); transmembrane proteins with an extracellular LRR domain (TM-LRR); transmembrane and extracellular LRR with a cytoplasmic kinase domain (TM-CK-LRR); membrane signal anchored protein with a coiled-coil cytoplasmic domain (MSAP-CC); and membrane associated kinases with an N-terminal myristylation site (MAK-N) (See, for example: Cohn, et al., (2001), Immunology, 13:55-62; Dangl, et al. (2001), Nature, 411:826-833).
The resistance gene of the embodiments of the present invention encodes a novel R gene related to the NBS-LRR type. While multiple NBS-LRR genes have been described, they differ widely in their response to different pathogens and exact action. To Applicants' knowledge, the novel R gene described in this disclosure is the only one demonstrated to provide resistance to Cg.